We may have laughed at the Italian's antics at the time, but for his teammates, I'm sure they only served as a distraction from footballing matters.

Rather than focusing on the weekend's game, players would have spent the midweek training sessions asking "what's Mario been up to this time?"

Off the pitch, the striker's departure should see a great deal of discipline and purpose return to the squad who should no longer have to worry about one of their own teammates getting into fisticuffs with manager Roberto Mancini.

Focused Manager

The Italian boss has been driven half-insane by Mario Balotelli over the past couple of years, the latter's behaviour uncontrollable even for the experienced Mancini.

Not for the first time, tensions came to a boil in a training session last month, as a dispute turned physical over a particularly nasty tackle Balotelli had supposedly committed on Scott Sinclair (via Daily Mail).

When he wasn't satisfied with his player's performance or effort, Mancini could be seen engaging in dramatic histrionics on the sideline, expressing his pure frustration with the striker in a typically Italian manner.

But with the two now parted, the manager can start worrying about catching Manchester United in the league, rather than how to deal with one of his slightly disturbed players—one he simply couldn't trust.